[Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Zhang also says the firm will emphasize the copyright protection of Cha's literary works.

During the past 50 years, a number of brands or products were named after Cha's novels or the known fictional characters but few were licensed.

Cha, aka Jin Yong, is China's most influential martial arts author. His 15 novels, written between mid-1950s and 1970s, unleashed a new boom of martial arts literature.

Liu Changle, board chair and CEO of Phoenix, says the television broadcaster will expand its business to the comics sector.